40% of Our Actions Are Caused by Habits and the Unconscious

The thoughtful intentional mind is easily derailed and people tend to fall back on habitual behaviors. Forty percent of the time we’re not thinking about what we’re doing… Habits allow us to focus on other things… Willpower is a limited resource, and when it runs out you fall back on habits.

When the habitual mind is engaged, our habits function largely outside of awareness. We can’t easily articulate how we do our habits or why we do them, and they change slowly through repeated experience. “Our minds don’t always integrate in the best way possible. Even when you know the right answer, you can’t make yourself change the habitual behavior,” Wood says.

Changing your habits can make you more productive. If I may quote myself: “If you are procrastinating or having trouble with productivity, science shows that you cannot count on just forcing yourself to get to work through willpower. Maybe you can sometimes, but conscious willing is one of the human being’s weakest organs. Much stronger is the power of unconscious habits.”

So, to be productive and stop procrastinating, take the time to establish rituals, structure, and eventually habits.